“Do you really think that Sarah Palin is the most qualified person in the Republican Party?” asked Webb. “I don’t know how many people here like country music? I like country music. There’s a song about two years ago it was called ‘I know what I was doing but what was I thinking?’ I think John McCain is probably singing that song right now,” he added, referring to the Dierks Bentley tune “What was I thinking?”

“If you’re trying to talk to friends about clear distinctions in terms of judgment, temperament, vision, this is something you can really ask them to take a look at,” he said.

Webb said the choice of a running mate was the one real window into the kind of judgment a future president would exhibit in office. He said he did not really “understand the process” by which McCain picked Governor Palin but said Obama’s choice of Biden was “thoughtful,” and Biden is “capable in a moment of stepping forward” into the presidency.

“I watched the vice presidential debate and I thought Joe Biden did a very good job and at the beginning f the debate Governor Palin turned around and said ‘nice to meet you can I call you Joe’ and I was thinking Joe what you really ought to do is say ‘yeah, you can call me whatever you want - in two months you can call me Mr. Vice President,’” Webb said.

The junior senator said southwestern Virginia voters can “trust [Obama]” - and that the “Karl Rove” type campaign going on against him has gotten tough.

“What they do is they say that person is not like you that person doesn’t understand you,” he said. “There’s a lot of comments that have been made about certain ethnic issues in this campaign, and I would like to say we know Barack Obama’s father was born in Kenya. Barack Obama’s mother was born in Kansas by way of Kentucky. We’re going to see on Election Day the election of the 44th President of the United States, whose ancestry and whose family line goes back to the mountains of this area.”

soundoff(134 Responses)

Jon

The "Country First" slogan is what makes me sick about the McCain campaign. Choosing Palin purely because of political realities is one thing, but have the guts to admit it and stop pretending like you've been thinking about the country all along. Anyone who says that Sarah Palin is the most qualified person in this country to be vice president either doesn't know what a vice president does or is a liar.

October 17, 2008 03:19 pm at 3:19 pm |

Aaron

Senator Webb makes the best argunment going for not voting for McCain although having one of the sleaziest and most erratic campaigns in modern history can be one too.Palin is intellectually bankrupt and corrupt in her governance of Alaska. She is petty and demeaning in her disucssions about the campaign since she lacks even the most basic understanding of the issues. She is a liar and sadly, incompetent. The fact that McCain shose her to be a "heartbeat" way is disturbing and suggests that McCain is tempermentally incapable of being president.,

October 17, 2008 03:19 pm at 3:19 pm |

Spencer/Commonwealth of Virginia

That's our Virginian Senator. A real soldier. He'll have soon to be Sen. Warner at his side. Virginia will be completely BLUE.

OBAMA/BIDEN 08

October 17, 2008 03:20 pm at 3:20 pm |

andy

McCain could not say she is QUALIFIED at the debate; because he know she is not.

October 17, 2008 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

j

I think in the judgement & temperment department, Obama wins hands down over McCain. Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review. He taught Constitutional law, has practiced as a civil rights attorney, community organizer, served 3 times in the Illinois state senate (1997 – 2004), and is currently serving in the US Senate (2004 – ). His campaign strategy shows his good judgement as does his pick of Joe Biden for VP. He surrounds himself with intelligent people that are qualified to advise him (i.e. Warren Buffet). In my opinion this more than qualifies him to be president.

McCain's inuendo's don't bear up to close scrutiny. So don't be distracted by all of the negative campaigning. Obama is the right man for the presidency.

October 17, 2008 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

Frank G in IL.

McCain was correct when he stated "I am not George Bush".
He's worse by picking Palin (a backhanded compliment to one of the most misguided Vice Presidents in American history, Dick Cheney).

October 17, 2008 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

alvino

Oh to be a republican politician. John McCain gets free cell towers, Sarah gets a free house in Wasilla.